Daily Fantasy Soccer Picks for the Uefa Champions League - DraftKings 3/15/16

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Last week Real Madrid, PSG, Wolfsburg and Benfica booked their places in the Champions League quarter finals and four more teams will do the same this week. The four matches taking place should make for a good slate and provide an opportunity to make a profit. On Tuesday, Atletico Madrid face PSV and Dynamo Kiev will travel to England to play Manchester City. A day later, the Champions League favourites Barcelona host Arsenal at the Nou Camp and Bayern Munich host the Italian champions, Juventus.

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Goalkeepers

Jan Oblak – DK 3,900
Opponent – PSV
There are a number of good options in goal in this slate, but Jan Oblak offers the best value at $3,900. The Atletico Madrid goalkeeper has averaged 9.5 points per game, but I suspect he can outscore his average against PSV, who are the worst team remaining in the competition. As I’ve alluded to in my previous previews, goalkeepers receive five points if their side win and five points if they keep a clean sheet. There’s a very good chance that Oblak receives both sets of five points, because Atletico Madrid are the overwhelming favourites to win this match. According to the bookmakers odds (which tend to be very accurate), there’s a 54% chance that Atletico Madrid beat PSV and keep a clean sheet.

Oleksandr Shovkovskiy – DK 3,100
Opponent – Manchester City
A cheaper alternative to Jan Oblak in goal is Dynamo Kyiv goalkeeper, Oleksandr Shovkovskiy who costs just $3,100. Manchester City come into this fixture with a 3-1 lead and I suspect they’ll defend this lead, therefore Shavkovskiy may be a wise choice in goal. Manuel Pellegrini’s side are also struggling to score goals at the moment, they failed to score against one of the worse sides in the Premier League on Saturday, Norwich. Personally, I’ll be fielding Oblak in my side but it Shavkovskiy is definitely a good option to save some funds.

Defenders

Filipe Luis – DK 3,600
Opponent – PSV
I’m not entirely sure why Filipe Luis is only priced at $3,600 in this slate, but like his teammate, Oblak, he is a great value addition to my side. Defenders receive three points if they keep a clean sheet and as I’ve already alluded to above, there’s a good chance that Atletico Madrid keep a clean sheet. They’re one of the best sides in the world defensively, no team in La Liga has conceded fewer goals and they kept a clean sheet against PSV in Holland a couple of weeks ago. It’s not all about the clean sheet for Luis though, he’s an excellent point-scorer because he’s such an attacking full back. He’s averaged 12.3 points per game on DraftKings which is more than any defender available in this slate that’s featured regularly for their side.

Gael Clichy – DK 2,600
Opponent – Dynamo Kyiv
First of all, you should wait until team news before fielding Gael Clichy because he’s not guaranteed to start although he appears to be the preferred choice at left back currently. If Clichy does start, he’s a must have in your team at just $2,600. He’s averaged a respectable 7.2 points per game this season, and I’d be delighted with this return from a player priced at just $2,600. There’s a good chance that Clichy will outscore his average because he plays at the Etihad against average opponents and there’s a good chance that he’ll receive three bonus points for keeping a clean sheet.

Midfielders

Arjen Robben – DK 7,200
Opponent – Juventus
I recommended selecting Arjen Robben when Bayern Munich played Juventus in Italy and he delivered by scoring 27 points. At $7,200 the Dutch midfielder is admittedly pricey, however he is by far the best midfielder available. Robben has averaged 16.8 points per game this season which is excellent and he was rested on the weekend by manager, Pep Guardiola, therefore should be fresh and ready to put in a good performance against Juventus. Robben’s ability to score points is down to his ability to score and create goals. This season hasn’t been his best goalscoring season due to injury, however last season scored 17 goals and assisted 7 in 21 Bundesliga appearances which indicates what an important player he is for Bayern Munich.

Saul Niguez – DK 3,500
Opponent – PSV
I selected Saul Niguez the last time Atletico Madrid played in the Champions League and at $3,500 he’s a good addition once again to keep the costs down. The Spanish midfielder has only recently forced his way into Atletico Madrid’s starting eleven, but keeps producing superb performances. The talented 21 year old has scored 8 goals this season and also scored on the weekend against Deportivo La Coruna, thus indicating he can be a big point-scorer against PSV on Tuesday, despite being priced at $3,500.

Forwards

Lionel Messi – DK 10,200
Opponent – Arsenal
I made a mistake the last time Messi played by selecting Luis Suarez over the Argentine and I’m determined not to make the same mistake again. Messi is the most expensive player in this slate and rightly so, he’s averaged 26.8 points per game this season, that’s considerably more than any player available in this slate. Messi’s point-scoring is obviously down to his goalscoring exploits, he’s scored 34 goals in 34 appearances this season and has also assisted 11 goals. It’d be no surprise if Messi was to score one or two against Arsenal, who in all honesty are not on the same level as Barcelona.

Paulo Dybala – DK 5,300
Opponent – Bayern Munich
Onto another Argentine, Paulo Dybala who has had an outstanding season for Juventus and there’s already talk of him being the next Lionel Messi. He’s made 27 Serie A appearances this campaign and scored 14 goals and assisted 8, therefore he’s clearly got the potential to score points in the Champions League. Admittedly, Juventus face tough opposition in the form of Bayern Munich, but in the first leg Dybala scored 18 points and got himself on the scoresheet. At $5,300, he’s worth siding with once again and I suspect he’ll be a popular selection in this slate.

Utilities

Santiago Arias – DK 2,800
Opponent – Atletico Madrid
After splashing the cash on the likes of Lionel Messi and Arjen Robben, I’ve had to select a couple of budget options in the utility position and the first of those is PSV defender, Santiago Arias. The Colombian has impressed for PSV this season, he’s played in 26 of 27 matches in the League and has also scored three goals from right back. In the reverse fixture of this tie, Arias impressed and scored 11 points on DraftKings and in his previous two Champions League outings he scored 7 points in both games. All in all, Arias isn’t going to win you your head to head but he’s a solid option at a cheap price.

Oleg Gusev – DK 3,100
Opponent – Manchester City
Oleg Gusev isn’t guaranteed to start against Manchester City, therefore I’d advise waiting for team news before selecting the midfielder. Gusev has started just two Champions League games this campaign but has performed well in both scoring 20 and 10 points. The 32 year old is a good goalscorer, he’s scored seven times in the League this season and as Kyiv need goals I suspect he may start. This season’s goalscoring tally hasn’t been a fluke either, he’s scored three or more goals in his last seven seasons for Dynamo Kyiv.

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